ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
5.07 LMT of wheat auctioned in the 3rd e-auction of Food Corporation of India
Against All India weighted average reserve price of Rs. 2138.12/Quintal, stocks sold for an All India weighted average selling price of Rs 2172.08/Quintal
The third e-auction to offload wheat under OMSS  was held on 22.02.2023. Stocks were offered from 620 depots spread over 23 Regions of FCI across the country. Total quantity of 11.79 LMT was offered and 5.07 LMT of wheat has been auctioned.
Against the all India weighted average reserve price of Rs. 2138.12/Quintal, stocks were sold for an all India weighted average selling price of Rs 2172.08/Quintal.
Out of the total quantity sold, 1.39 LMT were sold from Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, where the weighted average of reserve price were Rs. 2135.35 /Quintal and weighted average selling price was Rs. 2148.32/Quintal. While in the rest of the country  the quantity sold was 3.68 LMT for which the weighted average of reserve price was 2139.16 /Quintal and weighted average selling price was Rs. 2181.08/Quintal.
The overall price trend suggest that the market has cooled down and is below Rs. 2200/Quintal on an average. Thus, the offloading of wheat is showing the desired results of overall reduction in price of wheat.
In the third e-auction quantities ranging from of 100 to 499 MT had maximum demand followed by quantities of 50-100 MT followed by 500-999 MT indicating that small and medium flour millers and traders actively participated in the auction. Only 6 bids were received for the maximum quantity of 3000 MT at one go. Total of 1269 bidders participated in the third e-auction.
In four states of Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, 100% of the offered quantity were purchased by the bidders and in another five states, more than 90 % of the stocks offered were purchased by the bidders.
In the state of Uttar Pradesh which saw the highest selling price of Rs. 2950/Quintal during the first e-auction, the prices have cooled down and have dropped to an average price of Rs. 2177/Quintal. This is reduction of Rs. 773/Quintal within 22 days’ time.
An amount of Rs. 1086.1 crores was realised during the third e-auction.
The fourth e-auction would be held on 1st of March, 2023.
Ministry of Finance
DRI foils attempts of gold smuggling, seizes 11 kg gold worth more than Rs 5.88 crore in Lucknow & Mumbai
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence  has successfully foiled attempts of organised gold smuggling though air route by effecting two successive seizures in Lucknow and Mumbai last week, which had a common method of concealment of gold.
After having developed precise intelligence, on 06.05.2022, officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence  inspected a consignment which had arrived from Dubai at Air Cargo Complex, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai.
In the import documents, the item was declared as “sectional & drum type drain cleaning machines”, but on careful examination, 5.8 kg gold valued at Rs. 3.10 crore in disc form was found concealed inside two motor rotors of the machine imported in the said consignment. The importer was located in south Mumbai and was arrested in swift action. The importer has been sent to judicial custody by the Court.
Figure 1: Seizure of smuggled gold at Mumbai Air Cargo Complex
This seizure in Mumbai is on the heels of another seizure made by DRI Officers in Lucknow a day earlier on 05.05.2022. In that case too, DRI intercepted an import cargo said to contain “electrical threading machine” at Air Cargo Complex of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, and gold discs were found concealed in the machines in very similar fashion. Total 5.2 kg gold, valued at Rs. 2.78 crore, was seized in that case.
Figure 2: Seizure of smuggled gold at Lucknow Airport
Over the last year, DRI has affected significant seizures of gold from cargo and courier consignments. In July 2021, DRI had seized 16.79 kg gold, valued at Rs. 8 crore, from a courier consignment, followed by seizure of 80.13 kg smuggled gold, valued at Rs. 39.31 crore, in November 2021 from a cargo consignment - both at New Delhi.
In yet another case in August 2021, DRI had detected use of similar mode of concealment of smuggled gold in a consignment which had arrived at International Courier Terminal, Mumbai. DRI had recovered 5.25 kg of concealed gold, valued at Rs. 2.67 crore, from that import consignment.
These series of detections have helped unearth novel modus operandi of smuggling foreign origin gold into India through the air cargo and courier route. Such detections reinforce DRI’s ability to detect and combat unique and sophisticated methods of smuggling. During 2021-22, DRI officers had affected seizures of 833 kg smuggled gold, valued at Rs. 405 crore.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people on occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
“Wishing everyone a blessed Ashadhi Ekadashi. May this sacred day inspire us to embrace virtues of devotion, humility and compassion in line with the Warkari tradition. With Bhagwan Vitthal’s blessings, may we always work together to build a happy, peaceful and inclusive society.”
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches ‘PM Vishwakarma’ for traditional artisans and craftspeople on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti
PM Vishwakarma to be fully Centrally funded with an outlay of 13,000 crore rupees;
Union Minister Ms. Shobha Karandlaje asks the Vishwakarma community to take benefits of the scheme.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched a new scheme named ‘PM Vishwakarma Scheme’ for traditional artisans and craftspeople
on the occasion of the Vishwakarma Jayanti day today.
The Prime Minister also launched the PM Vishwakarma logo, tagline and portal at an event held at the India International Convention and Expo Centre, Dwarka in New Delhi. He also released a customized stamp sheet, a tool kit e-booklet and video on the occasion.
PM Vishwakarma will be fully funded by the Union Government with an outlay of Rs 13,000 crore. Under the scheme, the Vishwakarmas will be registered free of charge through Common Services Centres using biometric based PM Vishwakarma portal. They will be provided recognition through PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, skill upgradation involving basic and advanced training, toolkit incentive of ₹15,000, collateral-free credit support up to ₹1 lakh  and ₹2 lakh  at a concessional interest rate of five percent, incentive for digital transactions and marketing support.
The scheme will provide support to artisans and craftspeople of rural and urban areas across India. Eighteen traditional crafts will be covered under PM Vishwakarma. These include  Carpenter;  Boat Maker;  Armourer;  Blacksmith ;  Hammer and Tool Kit Maker;  Locksmith;  Goldsmith;  Potter;  Sculptor, Stone breaker;  Cobbler ;  Mason ;  Basket/Mat/Broom Maker/Coir Weaver;  Doll & Toy Maker ;  Barber;  Garland maker;  Washerman;  Tailor; and  Fishing Net Maker.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, was the Chief Guest at a function held at the NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru where
virtual streaming of the launch of the PM Vishwakarma scheme by the Prime Minister was done. The Minister said, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to provide support to the traditional work done by Vishwakarma people across the country. Ms. Shobha Karandlaje lauded the work done by the Vishwakarma Samaja and their contribution to the society. Outlining the features of the new scheme the minister asked the Vishwakarma community to take benefits of the new scheme.
Shri.Tejasvi Surya Member of Parliament, Bengaluru South and many senior officers and artisans were present at the function.
SP/PGP
Ministry of Education
Minister of Education and Skill Development Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister HE Mr Lawrence Wong to attend the G20 Singapore-India Hackathon 2023 finale for Students and Start-ups in IIT Gandhinagar
The Union Ministry of Education's All India Council for Technical Education  and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University  will hold the finale of the third edition of the Singapore-India  Hackathon at the IIT Gandhinagar campus on July 16, 2023.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education, Skills Develop and Entrepreneurship and HE Mr. Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Singapore will address the attendees and also felicitate the winners of the SI Hackathon who will collaborate and compete to create solutions for climate change and financial inclusion.
Over 800 students, start-ups, investors, policymakers, corporates, and academics are expected to attend the finale at IIT Gandhinagar. The finals of the Singapore-India Hackathon 2023 will see 12 teams of 2 Indian and 2 Singaporean students each compete for generous cash prizes of upto INR 12 lakhs.
The SI Hackathon was conceived as a result of the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's request to Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong to bring together the start-ups and students from India and Singapore to collaborate and create solutions for Financial Fraud Detection, Financial Inclusion and Credit Offering, Sea-level Rise and Coastal Flooding, Optimising Food Recycling, Monitoring Carbon Footprint, and boosting Singapore-India Trade Connectivity.
This one-of-a-kind Singapore-India Hackathon 2023 has brought together academic institutions such as NTU Singapore and IIT Gandhinagar, as well as corporates and the public sector from both nations to mentor and prepare aspiring entrepreneurs for building start-ups that impact some of the world’s most pressing global challenges of climate change and financial inclusion.
Click the link for the Valedictory of Singapore India Hackathon 2023 event:
Ministry of Communications
India Post Payments Bank to Spearhead Financial Inclusion Agenda of Government of India: Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle
The vision of India Post Payments Bank  will spearhead the financial inclusion agenda of the Government, said Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra Circle, Shri H. C. Agrawal. He was addressing the media at Mumbai GPO, to inform the people about the new venture. Indian Post Payments Bank will be launched nationwide by Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on September 1, 2018.
He informed that the launch of India Post Payments Bank will be held in 42 branches and 168 access points of Mahrashtra Circle on September 1, 2018. Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, Ch.Vidya Sagar Rao will inaugurate Andheri IPPB branch at Raj Bhavan and Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate Girgaon branch at Mumbai GPO. Similarly, various other branches would be launched at various places across the state. He further informed that 20,691 IPPB accounts have already been opened in the state.
Describing the initiative, Mr. Agrawal said the vision behind IPPB is to build the most accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man. It will remove the barriers for the unbanked and under-banked population and will promote Financial Inclusion through Financial Literacy.
He said that, IPPB will offer a range of products such as savings and current accounts, remittances and money transfer, direct benefit transfers, bill and utility payments, and enterprise and merchant payments
These products and related services, will be offered through multiple channels , using a bank grade, cutting-edge technology platform.
While informing about Third-Party Products, he said that IPPB will partner with financial organizations to provide loans, investment and insurance products. IPPB has finalized the partnerships with Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, and PNB Metlife Insurance.
He added that India Post has a vast network and reach, with a rural India penetration of 1,30,000 access points , nearly 2.5 times the number of bank branches in rural India today. A large workforce of 3,00,000+ postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks  offer Assisted Doorstep Banking in rural, urban and remote areas.
IPPB will make banking and payments simple. Using Aadhaar and PAN card, it will enable citizens to open paperless accounts in a matter of minutes and allow customers to make digital transactions with the help of QR Cards and biometric authentication.
The prominent IPPB Customers/Beneficiaries would be senior citizens, students, homemakers, urban Migrants, farmers, DBT beneficiaries, rural influencers, Kirana Stores and small businesses. It will promote digital ecosystem at micro level enabling a less-cash economy – and thus contribute to India’s GDP. For the implementation of IPPB, 3,00,000 Postmen and GDS will be trained to provide financial guidance to customers.
Ministry of Coal
Overall Coal Production Increases by 8.27% to 58.33 Million Ton in August, 2022
Coal Despatch Touches 63.43 Million Ton
TwentyFive Mines Production Goes Beyond 100 Per Cent
India’s overall coal production increased by 8.27% to 58.33 Million Ton  from 53.88 MT during August, 2022 as compared to Aug 2021. As per the provisional statistics of the Ministry of Coal, during Aug 2022, Coal India Ltd  and captive mines/ others registered a growth of 8.49 and 27.06% by producing 46.22 MT and 8.02 MT respectively. However, SCCL registered a negative growth of 17.49% during the month. Of the top 37 coal producing mines in the country, 25 mines produced more than 100 % while the production level of five mines stood between 80 and 100 per cent.
At the same time, coal despatch increased by 5.41% to 63.43 MT from 60.18 MT during Aug 2022 as compared to Aug 2021. During Aug 2022, CIL and captive /others registered a growth of 5.11% and 26.29% by despatching 51.12 MT and 8.28 MT respectively.
The power utilities despatch has grown by 10.84% to 54.09 MT during August 2022 as compared to 48.80 MT in Aug 2021 due to increase in power demand.
The overall power generation in Aug 2022 has been 3.14% higher than the power generated in Aug 2021. However, Coal based power generation in the month of Aug 2022 has been 85785 MU in comparison to 86039 MU in July 2022 and registered a minor negative growth of 0.30%.
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog to Launch Online Dispute Resolution Handbook on Saturday
NITI Aayog—in association with Agami and Omidyar Network India and with the support of ICICI Bank, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Trilegal, Dalberg, Dvara, NIPFP—will launch the first-of-its kind Online Dispute Resolution  handbook in India tomorrow.
Hon’ble Justice DY Chandrachud, Supreme Court of India, will deliver the opening address and launch the handbook. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, TATA Sons Vice President Poornima Sampath and Sumit Gupta, Head Collections, Udaan, will also be present in the launch.
The handbook is an invitation to business leaders to adopt ODR in India. It highlights the need for such a mechanism, the models of ODR that businesses can adopt and an actionable pathway for them.
ODR is the resolution of disputes outside courts, particularly of small and medium-value cases, using digital technology and techniques of alternate dispute resolution , such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. While courts are becoming digitized through the efforts of the judiciary, more effective, scalable, and collaborative mechanisms of containment and resolution are urgently needed. ODR can help resolve disputes efficiently and affordably.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles the loss of lives due a road accident in Jharsuguda, Odisha
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to a road accident in Jharsuguda, Odisha.
The Prime Minister's office tweeted;
"The accident in Odisha’s Jharsuguda is saddening. My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives in the accident. I pray that those injured recover at the earliest: PM"
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Shri J P Nadda addresses High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis at 73rd session of UNGA
Our goal continues to be to achieve the vision of universal access to quality diagnosis and treatment for TB: J P Nadda
“Our goal continues to be to achieve the vision of universal access to quality diagnosis and treatment for TB and address the social determinants of TB through a multi-sectoral response.”This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare during his address at the ‘High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis at 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly  at New York’. Shri J P Nadda further said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji has shown personal commitment to tackle TB head-on as India plans to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG target of 2030, by launching the TB Free India Campaign.“We have adopted a patient-centred and community-based model to end TB,” the Union Health Minister further emphasized.
In his address, Shri Nadda said that India’s National Health Policy 2017 clearly articulates the vision of a TB free India. “To implement this vision, a National Strategic Plan has been made operational,”Shri Nadda added. He stated India has allocated US$ 430 million for implementation of the Plan in the current year, which is an increase of 54% over last year. Shri Nadda informed the delegates that India is making innovative use of digital technology in monitoring and notification of TB cases. “We are also engaging with private sector care providers to improve access to TB care,” ShriNadda said.
The Union Health Minister cautioned that chronic underfunding of TB research and development is one of the reasons why TB still remains a challenge. “Equitable access to medicines, diagnostic tools and technologies remains a concern. We must address all barriers to access to medicines and to new technologies, including through use of flexibility provisions in WTO TRIPS Agreement and the Doha Declaration,” Shri Nadda elaborated.
“New partnerships need to be forged to eliminate TB. Successful development of rapid molecular TB tests by using indigenous, affordable technology and new digital X-Ray technology herald the potential that India holds to the future of TB research,” Shri Nadda stated. He further added that India has established its own TB research consortium to accelerate research efforts in TB. The launch of the BRICS TB Research Network is also a promising opportunity.
Ministry of Defence
Fourth West Zone meeting of Rajya Sainik Boards held in New Delhi through video conferencing
The fourth West Zone meeting of Rajya Sainik Boards  was held through video conferencing in New Delhi on April 16, 2021. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare  Shri Ravikant.
The Action Taken Report of the third meeting of the West Zone was discussed along with fresh agenda points. The subjects included reservation of Ex-Servicemen in employment, staff shortage, pay and allowances of RSB employees, delay in payment of benefits under various welfare schemes, opening of new Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme  Polyclinics, opening of new CSD Canteens and pension issues.
Secretary, ESW gave directions to take urgent and time-bound action on the issues raised by RSBs. He assured the RSBs of full support from DESW and Kendriya Sainik Board in resolving the issues.
Ministry of Law and Justice
Press Communique
Vide notifications dated 06.02.2023, in exercise of the power conferred clause  of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint following Advocate/ Judicial Officers as Additional Judges in the following High Courts:-
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Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi, Advocate
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As an Additional Judges of the Allahabad High Court.
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Manish Kumar Nigam, Advocate
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Anish Kumar Gupta, Advocate
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Ms. Nand Prabha Shukla, Advocate
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Kshitij Shailendra, Advocate
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Vinod Diwakar, Advocate
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Vijaykumar Adagouda Patil, Advocate
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As an Additional Judges of the Karnataka High Court.
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Rajesh Rai Kallangala, Advocate
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Smt. Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, Advocate
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As an Additional Judges of the Madras High Court.
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Pillaipakkam Bahukutumbi Balaji, Advocate
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Kandhasami Kulandaivelu Ramakrishnan, Advocate
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Smt. Ramachandran Kalaimathi, Judicial Officer
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Smt. K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi, Judicial Officer
Ministry of Finance
Banks in Thiruvananthapuram Dist. disbursed Rs. 6927 Crores under priority sector lending for six months
The District Level Review Committee Meeting of Banks in Thiruvananthapuram, convened by Indian Overseas Bank, the Lead Bank for the District, for the Third Quarter of FY 2021-2022 evaluated that Banks in the District under Priority Sector lending scheme have disbursed Rs. 6927 Crores for the first six months of this financial year. Out of the total disbursement in the Priority sector, Rs.4345 Crores was for Agriculture, Rs. 1900 Crores for MSME Sector and Rs. 682 Crores for Other Priority Sector. Shri.Adoor Prakash MP inaugurated the meeting. Shri.Mohammed Safeer, A.D.M. presided over the function.
The Credit Deposit Ratio of the District is 64% as on Sept’ 2021. Total Deposits Balance for the District is Rs.104182 Crores and total Advances outstanding is Rs.66975 Crores as on 30.09.2021. Of this, Advances to Priority sectors was Rs.27,183 Crores which is 41% of the Total Advances.
Sri. V H Suresh, Chief Regional Manager, Indian Overseas Bank delivered the welcome address. Sri.Murleekrishna, Assistant General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, and Sri. Sreenivasa Pai G, Lead District Manager also spoke in the meeting. Senior Officials from Banks, District Level Officers of various Govt. Departments and Agencies, and Financial Literacy Counselors of various Blocks participated in the meeting held online.
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